ProMedica Health System: INSIDE

Regional Hospitals a Necessity in Emergencies

Two expecting Lenawee County women unexpectedly found themselves in desperate need of medical care this winter. One developed a life-threatening case of the H1N1 virus and the other delivered her baby at a local police station. Both situations ended happily, thanks to swift medical attention from physicians and staff at Bixby and Herrick Medical Centers.

                 Heidi Aldridge (Photo Credit: Daily Telegram)

Heidi Aldridge’s pregnancy was five months from full-term when she came down with a cough and fever in November.

After seeking initial treatment at Bixby Medical Center, Heidi went home and began to feel better. However, five days later her condition worsened, and she returned to the Emergency Center.

Bixby Medical Center’s physicians determined that she had a case of H1N1. She was quickly transferred to The Toledo Hospital where she received an experimental treatment.

Heidi told her story to the Daily Telegram. “My fever had quit for maybe a day or two, and (on Nov 6.) it went back up to 102, so I called my OB doctor,” she said. “And, by the time I got to the hospital, it was almost 104.”

Heidi credits Victor Cherfan, DO—her ProMedica Physician Group (PPG) obstetrician/gynecologist—with insisting on transferring her within ProMedica Health System to The Toledo Hospital for treatment—a decision she believes was crucial.

That’s where doctors saved Heidi’s life, using an alternative breathing machine, called an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) machine. It was the first time doctors at The Toledo Hospital used it.

“If not for the machine,” William Rachwal, MD, FACS—a cardiothoracic surgeon with PPG—told the Daily Telegram, “she would have died that day.”

Denise Baker, director of obstetrics for Bixby and Herrick Medical Centers, also credits physicians at Bixby, where Heidi initially received treatment. Denise says Heidi’s examination at her hometown hospital and transfer within ProMedica Health System saved precious time.

“If Heidi had to drive 50 miles to be seen, she may have waited. Given the rapid course of her disease, that wait could have proven disastrous,” says Denise. “We as a community need to appreciate and utilize our local hospital when we need it.”

Heidi is scheduled to give birth via a C-section on March 23. Dr. Cherfan believes the baby was unaffected by Heidi’s H1N1 illness.

Katie Muysenberg only had a few precious minutes when her daughter, Ireland Clinton Earl Jones, decided to come into the world fast and furiously.

Katie and Ireland’s father, Jeff Jones, began driving to University of Michigan Health System when Katie started feeling contractions. But they never made it to Ann Arbor. The contractions were coming too quickly.

The couple told their story to the Tecumseh Herald. “I only had a couple of contractions and started feeling a little like it was time to go,” said Katie. “It all went very, very fast.”

Jeff turned the car around and they ended up at the Clinton Police Department, where only minutes later, in the hallway of the police station, Katie gave birth. From the time the couple left their home to the birth, only 25 minutes had passed.

Katie and the newborn were immediately transferred to Herrick Medical Center, where doctors finished treatment. Katie stayed at Herrick for two days after the birth of her daughter.